Refrigeration unit



Feb. 7, 1956 J. E. AHRENS REFRIGERATION UNIT 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed March 5, 1948 m m m m doH/v E. AHRENS w T. A

Feb. 7, 1950 .1. E. AHRENS REFRIGERATION UNIT 2 Sheet-Sheef 2 Filed March 3, 1948 INVENTOR. C/OHN E. AH ENS Patented Feb. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 16 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigeration apparatus and more particularly relates to a refrigeration unit foruse in cooling refrigerated spaces of sufficient size that they can be entered by a person.

The use of large refrigerated spaces or rooms has been hampered heretofore by condensation of moisture which occurs particularly in the upper portion of a refrigerated room, on the roof and on cooling pipes from which drops of water may fall on meat and the like stored in the room to render it undesirably wet.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a refrigeration unit which prevents the dripping of condensed moisture from the upper portion. of a refrigerated room or compartment.

A further object is to provide a refrigeration unit which collects and catches moisture which may condense in the upper portion of a refrigerated room.

Another object is to provide a unit which distributes high volume low velocity cooled air uniformly throughout a refrigerated room, without causing a draft or blast which might dry out certain products stored in the room, and which would afford discomforture to persons working therein.

A further object is to provide a unit which directs cooled air along the roof and walls of a refrigerated room to maintain the roof and walls cold and abstract heat therefrom before the heat can reach the contents of the refrigerated room, this being accomplished efficiently without drawing air from, or directing air toward, the entrance doorof the refrigerated room.

A further object of this invention has been to provide a refrigeration unit which may be mounted in the upper portion of a refrigerated room which collects any condensation which may form in the upper portion of the room yet is sufiiciently compact that it leaves adequate head room.

The foregoing objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a refrigeration unit constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the unit shown in Figure 1, the unit being shown attached to the roof of a refrigerated room, the room being shown in section.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 33 in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective showing details of fins covering a cooling tube.

Briefly, the refrigeration unit includes a blower which directs air collected inside a refrigerated room about a series of cooling tubes. The cooling tubes are mounted near the roof of the room, and a pan under the tubes together with walls and bafiles about the tubes directs the flow of air so that it flows about the tubes to be chilled and then, upon leaving the tubes, flows of the pan is insulated below the cooling tubes so that condensation does not occur under the pan.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the unit includes a series of horizontal cooling tubes I0 mounted parallel to and spaced a short distance below a roof H of a refrigerated room l2. An appropriate cooling fluid is circulated through the tubes metal sheets having corners cut away, as at HI. The fins are mounted at spaced intervals along the length of each cooling tube l0.

Two banks of tubes l6 and I! are spaced on either side of a main pan l8 which catches any condensation which may collect on the roof l l between the banks of tubes and also, as will be explained more fully hereinafter, catches any water" which condenses on the tubes and on the is directed about the cooling tubes l0 and through the fins l3. Vertical walls 2i along the banks of tubes running between the main pan l8 and the roof ll, channel the air from the blowers [9 tothe tubes ill. As shown clearly in Figure 1,

the walls 2| are located between thebanks of' tubes and are spaced from the banks of tubes,v the spacing between walls and tubes being greatest adjacent the blowers l9 and least at the end of the tubes away from the blowers l9 so that the walls and tubes define channels 22 of, a width which narrows as the channels extend away from the blowers It to cause a flow of air which is at a constant rate at all points along the length of each tube, as indicated by arrows.

in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 3, an auxiliary pan 23 un-" Air from the inside derlies each bank of tubes. Each auxiliary pan is separated from the main pan it by thermal insulation 24 which prevents overcooling of the underside of the main pan beneath the tubes it. Each pan 23 is spaced only a short distance below the bank of tubes above it so that no substantial amount of air can pass between the pan '23 and tubes it. An outer edge 26 of each auxiliary pan 23 is raised, as shown, so that any water which may collect on the tubes or on the roof over the tubes cannot fall into the room 12 but instead collects in the main pan |8. The finned tubes H are supported above the pan 23 by brackets or blocks, not shown, in any convenient manner so that, when the unit is in place, the upper fins are adjacent the roof and the finned tubes reach substantially from the pan 23 to the roof.

Water which collects in the auxiliary pans 23 flows into the central portion of the main pan I8 under the walls 2|. Each wall 2| is equipped with a lower, substantially horizontal flange 2'! by which it is attached to the main pan i8 and spaced therefrom by a series of soldered connections 28, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. Each connection 23. is sufficiently thick to maintain a narrow space 29 between the pan i8 and the flange 2'! which is sufiiciently wide to permit the flow of water but not sufiiciently wide to permit the passageof substantial amounts of air from the channel. 22.

The. weight of the walls 2| and of the insulation 24 and auxiliary pans '23 and the tubes ill is carried by the main pan i8. As shown in Figure 2, the main pan is supported by brackets 35 attached to a wall 32 of the room 2 which contains a door 33 for entry to the refrigerated room at the end of the unit opposite the blowers l9. Thus, the soldered connections 28 between the pan l8. and the walls. 2| act essentially as spacers and. do not have to carry any part of the weight of the pan.

As shown in Figures 1-3 inclusive, the pan i8 is creasedalong lines 34 to form a central triangular section 36 and side sections 31 all of which slope downwardly to a drain pipe 38 near the blower end of the pan through which water can be removed. Thus, any moisture which collects above. the pan l8 on the roof I! or on the tubes and fins l3 is caught in the pan and can be removed through the drain pipe 38 without falling on refrigerated foods in the room l2.

An electric motor 39 operated by a suitable electrical circuit, not shown, is carried at thev blower end of the pan l8 by a main motor bracket 4| which, as shown in Figure l, is bolted to vertical flanges 42 which form integral extensions of the walls 2|. Bolts 43 attach the bracket 4| to the flanges 42. Secondary motor supports 44 attached to the bracket M by bolts 45 carry the motor. A drive shaft 46, which projects horizontally in opposite directions from the motor 39, drives a rotor 41 in each of the blowers i9. A housing 48 surrounds each rotor ll, and the housings 48 are supported by brackets 49 of suitable construction. Air is driven by the blowers 19 through an opening 58 in the housing 48 into the channels 22. An edge of the main pan is adjacent the blowers i9 is turned upwardly at its outer portions as shown in Figure 1 to form barriers '52 along outer edges of the blowers I9 extending from the pan |8 to the roof I! about the ends of the tubes in to direct air from the blowers l9 about the tubes I. The fan support brackets 49 are attached to the edge 5|. Bailles 53 attached to the barriers 52 and extensions 54 attached to the baffles 53 and to a terminal set 55 of fins adjacent the blower end of the tubes it prevent air from by-passing the finned section of the tubes It. The central portion of the edge 5| is also turned upwardly as shown at 56 to direct liquid collected in the pan l8 into the drain pipe 38. An opposite edge 51 of the pan above the door 33 ofthe refrigerated room i2 is also turned upwardly and similar baffles 58 attached to the edge 56 and extensions 59 attached to the baifie 5'! and to an initial set of fins 89 adjacent the edge 5! prevent air from by-passing the finned section of the tubes In at the door end of the room I2.

When the refrigerating apparatus is in operation, a chilling refrigerating medium is circulated through the tubes ID. The motor 39 drives the blowers H) to force air into the channels '22. The walls 2| and baffles force the air to pass through the fins E3 to be. cooled. Any moisture which is condensed from the air during cooling collects in the auxiliary pans 23 and flows therefrom under the walls 2| through the spaces 29 into the center of the pan [8 and out through the drain pipe 38'. The insulation 24 below the tubes I0 and between the main pan 3 and auxiliary pans 23 prevents the chilling action from being conveyed to the lower surface of the pan I8. Moreover, cooled air leaving the fins I3. is directed horizontally along the underside of the roof I! so that the cooled air sweeps along the under side of the roof and down the side walls of the room, and condensation does. not occur at any surface from which moisture could drip upon contents of the refrigerated room l2.

As shown in Figure 2, the entire unit is of narrow depth and takes up very little head room. Since the cooled air is directed along the roof and walls. of the room, drafts inside the room arev minimized, and since the cooled air picks up. heat from the walls and roof of the room as the heat enters the room, the temperature of the room can be controlled with a minimum of fluctuation. The absence of drafts and strong air currents resulting from the unrestricted discharge of air provided for past the fins, avoidsv discomfiture to persons entering or working within the cooling room or chamber. Losses of efficiency thereby are minimized also, since in the arrangement disclosed there is no tendency for air to be driven through the doorway in either direction, upon opening of the door.

The fins i3 may extend substantially the entire length of the tubes [0, only some of the fins being shown in Figures 1 and 2, the remaining fins being indicated by dotted lines.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A refrigerating unit which comprises, a plurality of cooling tubes mounted in a bank parallel to a roof of a refrigerated compartment, a pan beneath said cooling tubes, a wall extending along a side of said bank of tubes, said wall in conjunction with the pan and the roof defining a channel along a side of said bank, the pan sloping away from the tubes to form a floor for the channel, the lower edge of said wall being spaced above the pan, a blower attached to said channel for forcing air through said channel and about said tubes, and means for removing water from said pan on the side of said wall away from said tubes, whereby the air is cooled and moisture condensed during cooling of the air flowsv between said pan and said wall to be removed.

2. A refrigerating unit which comprises, a plurality of cooling tubes mounted in a bank parallel to the roof of a refrigerated compartment, a pan beneath said cooling tubes, a wall extending along a side of said bank of tubes, said wall in conjunction with the pan and the roof defining a channel along a side of said bank, the pan sloping away from the tubes to form a floor for the channel, the. lower edge of said wall being spaced above the pan, a blower attached to said channel for forcing air through said channel and about said tubes, means for removing water from said pan on the side of said wall away from the tubes, and thermal insulation attached to said pan beneath said tubes, whereby the air is cooled and moisture condensed during cooling of the air flows between said pan and said wall to be removed.

3. A refrigerating unit which comprises, a plurality of cooling tubes mounted in a bank parallel to the roof of a refrigerated compartment, a pan beneath said cooling tubes, a wall extending along a side of said bank of tubes, said wall in conjunction with the pan and the roof defining a channel along a side of said bank, the portion of the pan which forms a lower side of the channel sloping away from the tubes to form a floor for the channel, the portion of the pan underlying the tubes being substantially horizontal, whereby cooled air leaving the tubes is projected parallel to the roof to sweep the roof with cooled air, the lower edge of said wall being spaced above the pan, a blower attached to said channel for forcing air through said channel and about said tubes, and means for removing water from said pan on the side of said wall away'from said tubes, whereby the air is cooled and moisture condensed during cooling of the air fiows between said pan and said Wall to be removed.

4. A refrigerating unit which comprises, a bank of cooling tubes, a pan and thermal insulation mounted beneath said tubes, said pan extending beyond and sloping downwardly away from said tubes, 2, wall extending upwardly from said pan to define a channel along a side of said bank of tubes, a side of said channel adjacent said bank of tubes being open, a lower edge of said wall being spaced above said pan, means for forcing air into said channel to pass through said bank of tubes, whereby the air is cooled and moisture condensing from the cooled air is collected in said pan and flows between said wall and said pan, and means for removing condensed moisture from said pan.

5. A refrigerating unit which comprises, a pair of spaced, substantially parallel, horizontal banks of cooling tubes mounted adjacent a roof of a refrigerated room, a pan beneath said banks of tubes, the portion of said pan between said banks sloping downwardly to a drain, a pair of walls extending between said pan and the roof, said walls being mounted intermediate said banks of tubes, the lower edge of each wall being spaced above the pan, thermal insulation mounted below each bank of tubes, means for forcing air between each wall and bank of tubes, whereby air is forced about said tubes to be cooled and condensed moisture formed during cooling of the air is caught by said pan and flows beneath said wall to be removed at said drain, and means for directing the cooled air leaving said tubes to flow horizontally along said roof.

6. The combination of a room having thermally insulated Walls, a thermally insulated roof, a plurality of cooling tubes mounted parallel and adjacent to said roof to form a bank of tubes, a

pan beneath said bank of tubes, said pan extending beyond and sloping away from said bank of tubes to a drain, a vertical wall carriedby said pan, a lower side of said wall being spaced from said pan, said wall extending to the roof along and spaced from one side of said bank of tubes to define a channel along the side of the bank, said channel having an open side along the bank of tubes, and means for forcing air into said channel to pass through said bank of tubes, whereby the air is cooledand moisture condensed from the cooled air is caught by said pan and fiows beneath said wall to said drain.

'7. The combination of a room having thermally insulated walls and a thermally insulated roof, a thermally insulated door in one of said walls, a plurality of cooling tubes mounted parallel and adjacent to said roof and substantially perpendicular to the wall which contains the door to form a bank of tubes, a pan beneath said bank of tubes, said pan extending beyond and sloping downwardly from said bank to a drain,

a vertical wall carried by said pan, a lower side of said wall being spaced from said pan, said wall extending to the rocf'along and spaced from one side of said bank of tubes to define a channel along the side of the bank, said channel having an'open side along the bank of tubes, and a blower at the end of said channel opposite said door for forcing air into said channel to pass through said bank of tubes, whereby the air is cooled and moisture condensed from the cooled air is caught by said pan and flows beneath said wall to said drain.

8. The combination of a room having thermally insulated walls and a thermally insulated roof, a thermally insulated door in one of said walls, a plurality of finned cooling tubes mounted parallel to and adjacent to said roof and substantially perpendicular to the wall containing between said pan and the roof, the lower edge of each wall being spaced above the pan, thermal insulation mounted beneath each bank of tubes, blowers mounted adjacent the ends of each of said banks of tubes opposite said door for forcing air between each wall and bank of tubes, whereby air is forced through said banks of tubes to be cooled and condensed moisture formed during cooling of the air flows between said pan and said walls to be removed by said drain, and means for directing the cooled air leaving said tubes to flow along said roof.

9. A refrigeration unit which comprises a bank of elongated parallel horizontal tubes, a substantially horizontal pan beneath said tubes, a wall along a side of said bank of tubes and'spaced therefrom extending upwardly from said pan, said wall and said bank of tubes being adapted to fit under the roof of a refrigerated compartment and with the pan define a duct along the side of said bank of tubes, the tubes in said bank being spaced to permit passage of air, said duct being closed at one end and open at the other, and means for supplying forced air into the open end of said duct said air discharging through the spacing between tubes in said bank of tubes.

10. A refrigeration unit which comprises a bank of elongated parallel horizontal tubes, a substantially horizontal pan beneath said tubes, a wall along a side of said bank of tubes and spaced therefrom extending upwardly from said pan, said wall and said bank of tubes being adapted to fit under the roof of a refrigerated compartment and with the pan define a duct along the side of said bank of tubes, the tubes in said bank being spaced to permit passage of air, said duct being closed at one end and open at the other, means for supplying forced air into the open end of said duct, said air discharging through the spacing between the tubes in said bank of tubes, and means for removing moisture from said pan.

11. A refrigeration unit which comprises a bank of elongated parallel horizontal tubes, a plurality of spaced heat transfer fins disposed at substantially right angles to the longitudinal axes of the tubes, a substantially horizontal pan beneath said tubes, a wall along a side of said bank of tubes and spaced therefrom extending upwardly from said pan, said wall and said bank of tubes being adapted to fit under the roof of a refrigerated compartment and with the pan define a duct along the side of said bank of tubes, the tubes in said bank being spaced to permit passage of air, said duct being closed at one end and open at the other, and means for supplying forced air into the open end of said duct, said air discharging through the spacing between the tubes in said bank of tubes, said fins guiding the air across the tubes to be projected in a direction perpendicular to the axes of the tubes.

12. A refrigeration unit which comprises a bank of elongated parallel horizontal tubes, a substantially horizontal pan beneath said tubes, a wall along a side of said bank of tubes and spaced therefrom extending upwardly from said pan, said wall and said bank of tubes being adapted to fit under the roof of a refrigerated compartment and with the pan define a duct along the side of said bank of tubes, the tubes in said bank being spaced to permit passage of air, said duct being closed at one end and open at the other and converging toward the closed end, and means for supplying forced air into the open end of said duct, said air discharging through the spacing between the tubes in said bank of tubes.

13. A refrigerating unit which comprises a bank of elongated parallel horizontal tubes, a substantially horizontal pan beneath said tubes, 2. wall alon a side of said bank of tubes and spaced therefrom extending upwardly from said pan, a roof extending from said wall over the bank of tubes, said pan, wall, and roof forming a duct along a side of said bank of tubes, the tubes in said bank being spaced to permit passage of air, said duct being closed at one end and open at the other to permit passage of air, and means for supplying forced air into the open end of said duct, said air discharging through the spacing between tubes in said bank of tubes.

14. A refrigerating unit which comprises a bank of elongated parallel horizontal tubes, a substantially horizontal pan beneath said tubes, a wall along a side of said bank of tubes and spaced therefrom extending upwardly from said pan, a roof extending from said wall over the bank of tubes, said pan, wall, and roof forming a duct along a side of said bank of tubes, the tubes in said bank being spaced to permit passage of air, said duct being closed at one end and open at the other to permit passage of air, means for supplying forced air into the open end of said duct, said air discharging through the spacing between tubes in said bank of tubes, and means for removing moisture from said pan.

15. A refrigerating unit which comprises a bank of elongated parallel horizontal tubes, a plurality of spaced heat transfer fins disposed at substantially right angles to the longitudinal axes of the tubes, a substantially horizontal pan beneath said tubes, a wall along a side of said bank of tubes and spaced therefrom extending upwardly from said pan, a roof extending from said wall over the bank of tubes, said pan, wall and roof forming a duct along a side of said bank of tubes, the tubes in said bank being spaced to permit passage of air, said duct being closed at one end and open at the other to permit passage of air, and means for supplying forced air into the open end of said duct, said air discharging through the spacing between tubes in said bank of tubes, said fins guiding the air across the tubes to be pro jected in a direction perpendicular to the axes of the tubes.

16. A refrigerating unit which comprises a bank of elongated parallel horizontal tubes, a substantially horizontal pan beneath said tubes, a wall along a side of said bank of tubes and spaced therefrom extending upwardly from said pan, a roof extending from said wall over the bank of tubes, said pan, wall and roof forming a duct along a side of said bank of tubes, the tubes in said bank being spaced to permit passage of air, said duct being closed at one end and open at the other to permit passage of air, said duct converging toward the closed end, and means for supplying forced air into the open end of said duct, said air discharging through the spacing between the tubes in said bank of tubes.

JOHN E. AHRENS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,079,069 Starr Nov. 18, 1913 1,813,250 Moore July '7, 1931 2,206,631 Clark July 2, 1940 2,272,302 Krackowizer Feb. 10, 1942 

